Basser Center for BRCA - 2018 Progress Report

“In 2018, the Basser Center extended its reach to new frontiers by harnessing its unique synergy of top researchers and clinicians. We continue to innovate and collaborate to bring the best care possible to patients worldwide.”

SUSAN DOMCHEK, MD

Executive Director

Breakthrough Discoveries

Learn About Innovative Research at Penn and Beyond

The Basser Center is transforming the way we understand and treat BRCA-related cancers by funding innovative research.

Penn's Investigators Are:

Beyond Penn, Basser grantees are...

FIONA SIMPKINS, MD

Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Determining Why Patients Develop Drug Resistance

Poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors target cancer cells with razor-sharp precision while largely sparing normal cells, often making them a highly effective treatment. But why do some breast and ovarian cancer patients with mutations in the PARP-1 enzyme develop resistance to these drugs?

Together with leading scientists in Canada and England, Dr. Ben Black, Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, is studying the mutations that stop PARP in its cancer-fighting tracks.

Improving Access to Genetic Counseling

The REACH study will evaluate the effectiveness of an alternative delivery to traditional genetic counseling in patients with advanced breast and ovarian cancer. Dr. Angela Bradbury, Associate Professor of Medicine, expects that this new model for genetic testing has the potential to provide improved patient outcomes, while reducing patient and genetic provider time and increasing the uptake of testing in patients who can benefit from genetic testing.

The study is open and recruiting more than 400 patients with advanced breast and ovarian cancer.

Understanding Tumor-Host Interactions in Ovarian Cancer

There are currently no animal models of ovarian cancer that are faithful to the origins of the disease, recapitulate the genomic complexity of the human condition, and allow for the study of tumor-host interactions.

In order to create such a model, Dr. Ronny Drapkin, Franklin Payne Associate Professor of Pathology in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and his laboratory isolated cells from the fallopian tubes of mice with a normal immune response, and used genome-editing to allow for a tumor to form when implanting the cells back into the mouse.

Dr. Drapkin’s team is beginning the process of addressing how the immune system reacts to these tumors, and whether the genetic make-up of the tumors (e.g. BRCA-mutant vs. non-BRCA-mutant) influences those interactions.

Developing New Therapies to Fight Treatment Resistance

The goal of Dr. Roger Greenberg’s research is to identify and target mechanisms of resistance to PARP inhibitors (PARPi) and platinum-based chemotherapies in BRCA1– and BRCA2-mutant cancers. This work has led to the launch of clinical trials to identify patients who are more likely to respond to PARPi therapy.

Dr. Greenberg, the J. Samuel Staub, MD, Professor, and his laboratory are building upon prior Basser-funded research that uncovered the entire network of alternative DNA repair mechanisms, providing a rich source of factors to investigate in BRCA-mutant cells that have become resistant to PARPi.

Another aspect of the research comes from the discovery of CHD1L as a survival factor for BRCA-mutant cells. Inhibition of CHD1L dramatically increases the sensitivity of BRCA-mutant cells to PARPi and overcomes known resistance mechanisms. This work provides a promising avenue to begin drug discovery efforts.

Leveraging Imaging to Predict Therapeutic Response

Principal Investigators Dr. Mehran Makvandi, Assistant Professor of Radiology, and Dr. Austin Pantel, Assistant Professor of Radiology, are looking at how PET imaging of PARP-1 can better inform how a patient will respond to targeted cancer therapy. This research will help answer fundamental questions through evaluating a biomarker that can be used to predict and monitor response to chemotherapy and PARP inhibitors.

Tackling BRCA-Related Prostate Cancer

To clarify the relationship between Gleason scores and BRCA 1/2 mutations, Dr. Kara Maxwell, Assistant Professor of Medicine, is analyzing the tumors of prostate cancer patients with BRCA1/2 mutations to predict how patients will respond to specific drugs, and to better understand what genomic factors caused their tumors in the first place.

Dr. Maxwell and her team are collecting tumor samples from as many BRCA-related prostate cancers as possible to study how patients react to therapy. The goal is to better understand the role of BRCA1/2 in prostate cancer and develop targeted therapies for patients.

Uncovering the Genomics of BRCA-Related Cancers

Dr. Katherine L. Nathanson, the Pearl Basser Professor for BRCA-Related Research, and her team are expanding on their prior finding that a subset of BRCA1/2-related cancers do not lose the second copy of BRCA in their DNA. Dr. Nathanson is evaluating whether molecular and pathological features vary between tumors associated with different mutational types and locations.

The team is also evaluating immune response in BRCA-related breast and ovarian tumors, having demonstrated that levels of deficiency in DNA repair are inversely related to immune response in primary BRCA1/2 breast cancers. This work plays an important role in the development of combination therapies for BRCA-related breast cancer.

Creating Potent Drug Combinations to Battle Ovarian Cancer

Dr. Fiona Simpkins, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Dr. Eric Brown, Associate Professor of Cancer Biology, are testing combinations of three types of inhibitors (PARPi, ATRi, and WEE1i) to determine the most effective treatment strategy. They do this by taking actual patient tumors and growing them in mice to study how these drug combinations work.

At the same time, they’re diving deep into how genes and proteins function and interact in order to understand the genetics behind these tumors and then attack them with a lethal blow.

Supercharging the Immune System

Immunotherapy activates the immune system to fight against disease. What better way to fight cancer than by weaponizing the body’s own built-in immune system?

Dr. Robert H. Vonderheide and Dr. David B. Weiner, together with their teams, are doing just that as they ready the immune system to attack cells that express telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), which is overactive in most cancers and causes cells to divide rapidly.

Dr. Vonderheide, Director of Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center, and Dr. Weiner, Director of the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center at the Wistar Institute, completed a Phase I clinical trial to test the effectiveness of this technique in more than 90 cancer patients who had completed therapy and were at high risk for recurrence. Phase I trial results proved their method to be safe and immunologically effective.

Later this year, the team hopes to launch a clinical trial for BRCA1/2 mutation carriers who have never had cancer. This study will examine how well the vaccine stimulates the immune system of healthy patients, along with testing its safety and ultimately determining if it can be used to prevent BRCA1/2-related cancer.

Probing Proteins

Dr. Sharon B. Cantor, Associate Professor of Molecular, Cell, and Cancer Biology at the University of Massachusetts, is exploring how BRCA gene mutations can change the body’s protein landscape, leading to resistance to chemotherapy. With greater knowledge of the role of these proteins in cancer cells, she hopes to develop new targets that can be used together with current therapies to prevent and disrupt drug resistance.

Unlocking the Secret of Selectivity

How are PARP inhibitors able to kill cancer cells without killing regular cells? Dr. Ryan B. Jensen, Associate Professor of Therapeutic Radiology and Pathology at Yale University, seeks to understand how some patients develop resistance to this class of drugs. He is studying how PARP inhibitors attack cancer—by “trapping” DNA or preventing its repair, for example—and examining how mutations in resistant patients enable functions like DNA repair to go unchecked. By clarifying the cellular functions that are disrupted by BRCA mutations, Jensen hopes to identify which patients are more likely to respond to PARP inhibitors.

Exploring How Cells Survive Stress

According to preliminary data, BRCA2-mutant breast cells are normally susceptible to “replication stress,” a byproduct of DNA replication that can lead to DNA damage. For BRCA2 carriers to develop breast cancer, Dr. Shailja Pathania, hypothesizes that cells are somehow able to tolerate replication stress, thus allowing uninhibited proliferation.

Pathania, Assistant Professor of Cancer Biology at the University of Massachusetts, is exploring the origin of this tolerance by using a genome-screening approach to identify specific genes and pathways that allow BRCA2-mutant cells to survive and replicate. The goal is to uncover what happens on a genetic level during tumor formation in BRCA2 carriers, and to be able to prevent it or detect it as early as possible.

Detecting Cell Anomalies Before Cancer Starts

If you have a BRCA mutation, it is hard to balance preserving fertility with undergoing life-saving surgeries. Dr. Hui Zong, Associate Professor of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology at the University of Virginia, is looking to pinpoint when an individual’s BRCA1-related cancer progresses in order to enable more personalized early detection and treatment strategies to help make this decision easier.

Using a mouse model that mimics how cancer originates in human patients, Zong is comparing mutant and normal cells in order to detect anomalies at an early stage. He hopes to be able to predict which cell types are most susceptible to becoming cancerous and then harness drugs like PARP-1 inhibitors, which selectively kill cancer cells, to prevent the disease before it starts.

Address Your Risk BFOR Cancer Starts

An estimated 90 percent of BRCA carriers do not know their status and are therefore less likely to be proactive about their cancer risk.

The BRCA Founder Outreach (BFOR) Study—a collaborative research initiative between leading experts at Basser, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and UCLA—seeks to save lives and advance care by making information about BRCA testing more accessible than ever before.

Participants in BFOR first complete an online education module. They are then asked to supply a DNA sample at a local lab. Their primary care physician or the study’s genetic counselor provides test results and follows up if additional genetic counseling is appropriate.

Because individuals with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry are at much higher risk of carrying a BRCA mutation, the initiative is beginning with a pilot study of 4,000 people of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry in the New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles areas.

Learn more about the study by visiting its website.

Basser 2018 Global Research Prize Recipient

“It is very humbling to be chosen for this honor by the Basser Center, which in a short time has become world-renowned for its efforts to help patients with inherited BRCA1/2 mutations. This prize will be integral in our aim to contribute to a better understanding of BRCA-related cancers and potentially achieve their reversal through treatments and genetic correction.”

MARIA JASIN, PHD

Twenty years ago, Maria Jasin, PhD, and her lab were instrumental in fundamentally transforming the popular understanding of how the human body repairs damaged DNA. This discovery influenced numerous approaches to cancer treatment.

In recognition of her significant contribution in defining the roles of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in DNA repair, the Basser Center was thrilled to bestow its 2018 Global Research Prize upon Dr. Jasin, a member of the Developmental Biology Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a professor at the Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences at Cornell University.

Jasin’s lab pinpointed where along the pathway both BRCA1 and BRCA2 are active, shedding light on why BRCA1/2-related cancers present distinctive characteristics and propensities for drug resistance.

With the $100,000 in unrestricted research support furnished by the prize, established and endowed by Shari Basser Potter and Len Potter, Jasin will continue along this line of inquiry, next examining DNA repair in the breast at various developmental stages and contexts.

Inaugural Basser Innovation Research Award

In 2018, the Basser Center launched the Pearl and Philip Basser Innovation Research Award to honor promising young investigators and enhance their ability to advance BRCA-related science, publish findings, and obtain larger grants to support their research.

The inaugural awardee is Fiona Simpkins, MD, a gynecologic oncologist at Penn Medicine who is identifying novel targets and strategies to overcome drug resistance in BRCA-related ovarian cancer. Simpkins uses mouse models she created that exhibit the same drug resistance as human tumors to test therapies that may offer hope to patients who have exhausted available treatment options.

The Award was created and endowed by Philip B. Basser and the late Pearl Basser.

Growing Impact

6

Basser Global Prizes Awarded

Recipients of the Basser Global Prize—bestowed annually on a visionary scientist who has advanced BRCA research and led to improvements in clinical care—hail from institutions across the country and beyond.

48

Research Grants Funded

At events across the country, Basser connects with new audiences, shares vital information about hereditary cancer risk, and builds community among those managing life with a BRCA mutation.

8

Outreach Events in 2018

At events across the country, Basser connects with new audiences, shares vital information about hereditary cancer risk, and builds community among those managing life with a BRCA mutation.

100+

Leadership Council & Young Leadership Council Members

Members of the Basser Leadership Council and the Basser Young Leadership Council—advocates working to promote Basser’s mission and work—represent 23 states and two countries outside the U.S.

Gallery

Basser Webinars: BRCA insights on demand

Thanks to the Elizabeth Prostic Memorial Outreach Program, patients everywhere need only search online to receive life-saving information and hope from the Basser Center.

The webinar series, generously established in 2015 by Dr. Edward and Merry Prostic of Mission Hills, KS, in memory of their daughter, produces two webinars annually aimed at helping high-risk individuals become aware of their cancer risk and the available options. The program is a crucial element of Basser’s goal to help individuals and families with a BRCA mutation make more informed choices.

Every webinar since the program’s founding is archived online so that anyone can benefit from the knowledge and recommendations of Basser’s top physicians, researchers, and genetic counselors—anywhere, anytime.

More Information

Basser Pride

From the Eiffel Tower to Basser’s home city of Philadelphia, all kinds of supporters—human and animal—put their Basser pride on display.

Get your own Basser gear

Patient Perspective

Helene Avraham-Katz’s determination to beat pancreatic cancer led her from North Carolina to the Basser Center. Today, she is still defying the odds.

“Those are the statistics, but those aren’t my statistics.”

Helene Avraham-Katz

Basser Center patient

Read Helene's Story

Not Another Statistic

“Those are the statistics, but those aren’t my statistics.”

HELENE AVRAHAM-KATZ

Helene Avraham-Katz of Greensboro, NC, assumed cancer was inevitable, based on a strong family history of the disease. Sure enough, in summer 2016, after experiencing stomach pain and loss of appetite, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

“I had been waiting for something to happen,” Avraham-Katz says. “When it did, I thought, ‘Now I can deal with it.’”

Even after multiple surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy at her local hospital—informed by genetic testing that confirmed her BRCA mutation status—the outlook was still not good. Asked for an honest prognosis, her doctor provided a bleak report. Avraham-Katz told him, “Those are the statistics, but those aren’t my statistics.”

Her determination to beat the odds led Avraham-Katz online to search for hope, where she found the compelling story of a woman who had been treated at the Basser Center. She saved it with some other survivor stories on her computer.

Avraham-Katz’s health held steady for a year. But when her cancer returned, her doctor urged her to find a center specializing in BRCA-related cancer. She made multiple inquiries that were met with slow or unenthusiastic responses. Then she recalled the survivor stories, and by chance clicked first on the Basser patient’s story. “It was meant to be,” she says.

This feeling was confirmed when she received a call back from Basser almost immediately. Several hours later, she was talking to Kim Reiss Binder, MD, who would become her oncologist.

“I felt an immediate affinity with her,” Avraham-Katz says. Not only was the personal connection strong, Reiss Binder had a promising therapeutic option for Avraham-Katz that was being tested in a clinical trial, available only at Penn, to better understand its effectiveness in treating patients with BRCA-related pancreatic cancer.

Now, after more than three years of monthly visits to the Basser Center, Avraham-Katz remains in good health—and is heartened to know that Basser is on the forefront of the latest discoveries if that changes.

“Dr. Reiss Binder told me that she and her colleagues at Basser work with BRCA researchers all over the country,” Avraham-Katz says. “I know that if something new comes out, I’ll hear about it. I’m living for the future, and that’s because of the Basser Center and Dr. Reiss Binder.”

Making News

How the Immune System Is Used to Treat Breast Cancer

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With CRISPR, Scientists Engineered Nearly 4,000 Mutations of a Breast Cancer Gene

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DNA Adapted

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At-Home Genetic Testing May Be Convenient, but It Isn’t Complete

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F.D.A. Approves First Home Testing for 3 Breast Cancer Mutations, With Caveats

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Relearning How to Date After My Double Mastectomy

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US OKs 1st Drug Aimed at Women with Inherited Breast Cancer

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How Men Can Be Affected by the BRCA Gene, Too

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Personalized Vaccine Doubly Effective at Prolonging Lives of Women with Advanced Ovarian Cancer

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More Media

Dr. Susan Domchek Elected to National Academy of Medicine

For physicians and biomedical researchers, there are few honors more esteemed than election to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), which selects individuals who have made significant contributions to medicine, science, and public health.

Susan M. Domchek, MD, Executive Director of the Basser Center, was elected to NAM in 2018 in recognition of her insights into the evaluation and management of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, including the introduction of two BRCA1/2-specific drug therapies.

“Susan Domchek is that rare physician who excels in every dimension—a visionary leader in BRCA cancer medicine who is also valued by patients for her clinical skills and compassion,” says J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine. “We are proud that the National Academy of Medicine has recognized her place among the elite group of health professionals who are changing medicine as we know it.”

Domchek is one of four Perelman School of Medicine faculty members who were elected to the Academy in 2018, bringing Penn’s total membership in the organization to 71. Domchek and her Penn colleagues join 75 new U.S. and 10 international members elected by their peers.

“This distinguished and diverse class of new members is a truly remarkable set of scholars and leaders whose impressive work has advanced science, improved health, and made the world a better place for everyone,” says National Academy of Medicine President Victor J. Dzau.

Connecting Community

May 1, 2018: Hereditary Cancer Risk Symposium

The Basser Center invited attendees to Temple Israel of Hollywood in Los Angeles to “arm themselves with knowledge” at a hereditary cancer risk symposium co-sponsored by Sharsheret.

Symposium Gallery

June 27, 2018: Dating with BRCA Panel

A panel entitled “It’s Complicated: Dating While Navigating a BRCA Mutation” at Foley Hoag in New York City delved into issues surrounding relationships, first dates, and the ins and outs of pairing up before and after surgeries.

July 17, 2018: Hereditary Cancer Risk Panel

Close to 200 people attended a Basser-co-sponsored panel on hereditary cancer risk at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center on the Jacobs Family Campus in La Jolla, California. The event, which included a resource fair featuring 11 national and local organizations, was covered by The San Diego Union Tribune and The Del Mar Times.

Event Gallery

October 16, 2018: “Beyond the Medical” Panel

The Basser Center went “beyond the medical” at a panel co-sponsored by Jewish Family and Children’s Services and Sharsheret, held at The Barbara and Harvey Brodsky Enrichment Center of JFCS in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. The live-streamed event has been viewed more than 600 times.

November 2, 2018: Dating with BRCA Panel

The Basser Center reprised its panel “It’s Complicated: Dating While Navigating a BRCA Mutation” at the offices of Morgan Lewis in Philadelphia.

May 22-23, 2018: Breakthroughs & Discoveries Symposium

At the Basser Center’s annual symposium, “BRCA1, BRCA2 and Beyond: An Update on Hereditary Cancer,” BRCA experts presented recent advances and future directions in BRCA research and treatment. Delivering the keynote was 2017 Basser Global Research Prize awardee Ashok Venkitaraman, MBSS, PhD, of the University of Cambridge.

Event Video

October 3, 2018: Storytelling Event

Three individuals impacted by a BRCA mutation—Rob Sorin, Taylor Harris, and Erika Stallings—shared their stories at a Young Leadership Council event in New York City.

Event Recap Video Taylor Harris' remarks Erika Stallings' remarks

Our Leadership and Supporters

“Your support fuels and inspires an exceptional community of highly skilled researchers, physicians, and genetic counselors at Basser and around the world. Thank you for joining us in our mission to ensure that this is the last generation affected by BRCA-related cancers.”

Mindy and Jon Gray

Founders, Basser Center for BRCA

Leadership Team

Susan Domchek, MD
Executive Director

Ronny Drapkin, MD, PhD
Director of Gynecologic Cancer Research

Roger Greenberg, MD, PhD
Director of Basic Science

Katherine Nathanson, MD
Director of Genetics

Beth Stearman, MPH
Administrative Director

Basser Leadership Council

The Basser Leadership Council advocates, informs, and engages on behalf of the Basser Center. The Council enhances and supports the Center’s broader mission and provides hope to patients and families by securing the resources needed to accelerate BRCA-related research, care, and education.

CHAIR

Mindy Gray

MEMBERS

Tamsen Brown

Mara Burros-Sandler

Cindy Price Gavin

Susan Getz

Michael J. Haas

Lisa Jacobs

Michele Konner

Paul Lattanzio

Trace McCreary

Shari Potter

Jessica Queller

Heidi Rieger

Stacey Sager

Helene Silverman Sorin

Jill Steinberg

Dana Zucker

Anonymous members

Young Leadership Council

With more than 100 members from around the world, the Basser Young Leadership Council (YLC) represents the next generation of advocates for the Basser Center and its investigators who are making strides in BRCA-related cancer research. YLC members stay informed about the latest research advances and raise money individually and through events to support research, patient care, and education. Learn more at Basser.org/YLC.

CHAIRS

Erika Stallings

Suzanne Zuppello

MEMBERS

Louis Abrams

Robyn Alexander

Kelly Baldwin Heid

Callum Beale

Jodi Berger

Jonathan Berger

Maureen Boesen

Perri Brendzel

Kathryn Buckley

Jamie Burak

Andrea Calabrese

Cherie Hankin Calingasan

Kristen Carbone

Lindsey Chasteen

Chelsea Cohen

Jourdan Cohen

Sarah Cook

Chié Dambara Sánchez

Ashley Dedmon

Katherine DiLullo

Lisa Donnelly

Elizabeth Drake

Sara Edelman Lustgarten

Peri Edelstein

Dorie Eisenstein

Cydney Engle

Galia Farber

Alex Fleischman

Denise H. Frederickson

Amy Gallagher

Nicole Garcia

Martae Giometti

Emily Goldberg

Lindsay Goldblatt

Jackie Goodman

Emily Guskin

Suri Helwani

Shannon Hennessey Pulaski

Raven A. Holzer

Lindsay Jacobson

Shaina Kalin

Michelle Kaplan

Ilana Katz Sand

Stacey Klimchuk

Carlette Knox

Jodi Leigh Kreizer

Sarah Kremer

Alison Kucharski

Kevin Kucharski

Eliberty Lopez

Jamie Ludwig

Stephanie Marton

Sonal Mayekar

Carolyn McAnlis

Margaret McConville

Alona Metz

Chelsi Meyerson

Heather Milburn

Frannie Neal

Jessica Newshel

Dani Nodelman

Kaitlin Nordby

Calle Norman

Marti Norman

Laura Perilstein

Caroline Plank

Lauren Pleener

Rachel Presser

Lauren Profis

Jessica Radestky

Jen Reilly

Laura Reinke

Hillary Rieger

Caroline Rodman

Sarah Roth

Paulina Rugart

Michael Sand

Kelly Scheib

Erin Schonbraun

Sarah Selkirk

Jackie Silver

Sara Simon

Natalie Skaf

Jenny Sorin

Bridget Stillwell

Gabby Stoller

Ashley Talamo

Rebecca Uber

Jamie Vento

Joanna Warden

Katrina Wells

Jenny Wikoff

Vanessa Woodman Fuss

DONORS

Gifts listed below are from January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2018, and reflect cumulative giving during that time period.

$250,000 and above

David Bonderman

Tamsen & Michael Brown

Mindy & Jon Gray

Jay Lieberman & The Derfner Foundation

Shari and Len Potter

$100,000-$249,000

Christine & Jordan Kaplan

Dr. Susan Stein Wolk & David Wolk

$50,000-$99,999

Elizabeth & Stefan Brodie

Raquel & Michael Haas

Paul Klingenstein Family Foundation

Michele & Kevah Konner

$25,000-$49,999

Lee Berg

Andrea Flink

Susan & Dennis Holewinski

Magnolia Tree Foundation

Darcy & Andrew Nussbaum

Tricia & Jason Pantzer

Merry & Dr. Edward Prostic

Dr. Ilana Katz-Sand & Michael Sand

Helene & Robert Sorin

$10,000-$24,999

Cindy & Brian Gavin

Jane & Mark Gibson

Robin & Brad Klatt

Trace McCreary & the late Alissa Reiner McCreary

Morton Meyerson

Leora Mogilner & Richard Linhart

Farrel & Steven Starker

Jill & Jon Steinberg

$5,000-$9,999

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Carole & Stuart Potter, Esquire

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$2,500-$4,999

August Calderone

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Steven King

Joan Klagsbrun

Susan & Dr. Craig Lubin

Judd Perkins

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Daniel Rudin

Saks Incorporated

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Jon Whelan

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Lynn & William Murphy

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Eileen Youtie

$500-$999

Pamela Bernstein

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Diane & Marc Spilker

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Gordon Steinbach

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Laura Taft

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$499 and below

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Kelly Baldwin Heid & Markham Heid

Mary Balla

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Marks Mobile Truck Service LLC

Joshua Mayers

Margaret McArdle

Brittany McCants

Margaret McConville

Didi McDonald

Dr. Daniel McNerny

Jessica McPoland

Samantha Melnick

Jenny Merkin

Evdokia Metaxas

Joshua Michnowski

David Mitchell

Julia Mitchell

Abby Modell

Joshua Morris

Julie & Daniel Mozes

Michael Muderick

Barbara Murstein

Dr. Rebekah Nagler

Jessica Newshel

T. Nguyen

Dani & Mark Nodelman

Calle Norman

Laura O’Donnell

Katie Oliverio

Kelli Ortega

Chris Owens

Neil Patel

Kristin Patenaude

Hollace Paternoster

Dr. Deborah Perlmutter & Philip Witman

Stephanie Petosa

Robert Pettit

Alison Peyser

Kathryn Pikosky

Lauren Pleener & Jonathan Berger

Joshua Poulin

Jeremy Presser

Steven Price

Lauren Profis

Shannon Pulaski

Mary Quinn

Muriel Radwaner

Kristen Ramsey

Emily Raxenberg

Marc Reiner

Tiffany Reynolds

Leslie Rivera

Cindy Roseman

Stephanie Rosenfeld

Lili Rosenkranz

Sherwood Rowland

Erica Ruiz

Hilary Saltzman

Morgan Samet

Linda Sanet

Wayne Schaible

Sandra Schaub

Dr. Ephraim Schechter

Zach Schelberg

Stephanie Schreiber

Brian Schwabenland

Lois Schwartz

Michelle Schwartz

Cheryl & Dr. Charles Scott

Rosanna Scotto

Juliana Sender

Robert Sender

Bhavik Shah

Marcelle Shapiro & John Beight

Janie Shin

Phyllis Shmalo

Bari Shmerler

Lauren Shosfy

Lauren Siegel

Lois Siegel

Rebecca Simeone

Samantha Smith

Aaron Snyder

Carole Solomon

Amanda Stackman

Beth Stearman

Margaret Stokes

Vanessa Sughrue

Surf City Steel Inc.

Kenneth Swain

Heather Symecko

Julian Tigani

Heidi & Richard Topaz

Lola & Andrey Tsetlin

Andrea Tully

Nneka Ukpai

Maryam Vahabzadeh

Tanyia Vidrio

Kimberly Wagner

Dan Waldman

Donna Waldt

Donna Walsh

Diego Warszawski

Sondra & Dr. Marvin Wasman

Jacqueline & Peter Weidman

Ann Westwater-Tran

James Woerner

Samantha Wolf

Gary Wuslich

Neil Yaris

Jill Yelen

Joseph Zawadzki

Mia Zuckerkandel

Suzanne Zuppello

TRIBUTES

The Basser Center for BRCA has received many generous and thoughtful gifts in honor, memory, and celebration of the following individuals.

Susan Adams

Marie Barker

John Barnard

Philip Basser

Pearl Basser

Faith Basser

Stephanie Becker

Laurie Begany

Lee Bladlow

Carolyn Brown

Sierra T. Burpees

Sondra Byer Dezenhall

Teresa Carr

Nancy Clarke Russell

Jourdan Cohen

Diane Cristantiello

Catherine Cruze

Ruth Davidson

Chrissy Depauw

Mildred DiLisa

Dr. Susan Domchek

Frederick Downey

Phebe Downey

Steven Dubey

J. Kevin Dwyer

Brooke Ehrmann

Kathleen Finn

Nancy Flynn Bye

James Fougent

Elaine Frank

Vicki Frindell

Shirley Gardner

John Gavin

Mindy & Jon Gray

Michael Haas

Sanford Hooper

Revital Joseph

Michele Kaplan

Michele & Kevah Konner

Lisa Kugler

Mary LaPann

Sara Lustgarten

Brendan MacDonald

Michael Manganiello

Eileen Mates

Trace McCreary

Alissa Reiner McCreary

Gary McDonough

Catherine McDonough

Katherine Mogg

Sylvia Muderick

Charles Munson

Mary Ellen Nix

Eugenia Ostrow

Lynne Palan

Judy Park

Elaine & Trevor Pearlman

Luke Petherbridge

Andrea Pogach

Rodrigo Polezel

Shari & Len Potter

Dr. Tenley Poulin

Terry Roth

Amanda Schroeder Borger

Beatrice Sherman

Deborah Simcox

Jenny Sorin

Helene & Rob Sorin

Erika Stallings

Gail Taflin Silvert

Sarah Twersky

Beverly Virany

Leon Volchyok

Amy Warner

Susan Wels

Rose Winkler

Claire Wolff

Dorothy and David Zuckerkandel

Anna Zuppello

Thank you for putting hope within reach.

Your support fuels our progress, ensuring hope for individuals and families affected by a BRCA mutation.

SUSAN DOMCHEK, MD

Executive Director

Breakthrough Discoveries

Learn About Innovative Research at Penn and Beyond

Penn's Investigators Are:

Determining Why Patients Develop Drug Resistance

Improving Access to Genetic Counseling

Understanding Tumor-Host Interactions in Ovarian Cancer

Developing New Therapies to Fight Treatment Resistance

Leveraging Imaging to Predict Therapeutic Response

Tackling BRCA-Related Prostate Cancer

Uncovering the Genomics of BRCA-Related Cancers

Creating Potent Drug Combinations to Battle Ovarian Cancer

Supercharging the Immune System

Beyond Penn, Basser grantees are...

Probing Proteins

Sharon B. Cantor, PhD

Unlocking the Secret of Selectivity

Ryan B. Jensen, PhD

Exploring How Cells Survive Stress

Shailja Pathania, PhD

Detecting Cell Anomalies Before Cancer Starts

Hui Zong, PhD

Address Your Risk BFOR Cancer Starts

Basser 2018 Global Research Prize Recipient

Inaugural Basser Innovation Research Award

“The extraordinary network of resources and support that the Basser Center provides will continue to help us achieve our game-changing goal of providing new therapies and hope to patients with BRCA-related cancers around the world.”

FIONA SIMPKINS, MD

Determining Why Patients Develop Drug Resistance

Improving Access to Genetic Counseling

Understanding Tumor-Host Interactions in Ovarian Cancer

Developing New Therapies to Fight Treatment Resistance

Leveraging Imaging to Predict Therapeutic Response

Tackling BRCA-Related Prostate Cancer

Uncovering the Genomics of BRCA-Related Cancers

Creating Potent Drug Combinations to Battle Ovarian Cancer

Supercharging the Immune System

Probing Proteins

Unlocking the Secret of Selectivity

Exploring How Cells Survive Stress

Detecting Cell Anomalies Before Cancer Starts

Address Your Risk BFOR Cancer Starts

Basser 2018 Global Research Prize Recipient

MARIA JASIN, PHD

Inaugural Basser Innovation Research Award

Growing Impact

6

Basser Global Prizes Awarded

48

Research Grants Funded

8

Outreach Events in 2018

100+

Leadership Council & Young Leadership Council Members

Basser Webinars: BRCA Insights on Demand

Basser Pride

Basser Webinars: BRCA insights on demand

Basser Pride

Patient Perspective

“Those are the statistics, but those aren’t my statistics.”

Helene Avraham-Katz

Not Another Statistic

HELENE AVRAHAM-KATZ

Making News

Dr. Susan Domchek Elected to National Academy of Medicine

2018 Media Highlights

Dr. Susan Domchek Elected to National Academy of Medicine

Connecting Community

May 1, 2018: Hereditary Cancer Risk Symposium

May 22-23, 2018: Breakthroughs & Discoveries Symposium

June 27, 2018: Dating with BRCA Panel

July 17, 2018: Hereditary Cancer Risk Panel

October 3, 2018: Storytelling Event

October 16, 2018: “Beyond the Medical” Panel

November 2, 2018: Dating with BRCA Panel

May 22-23, 2018: Breakthroughs & Discoveries Symposium

October 3, 2018: Storytelling Event

Our Leadership and Supporters

“Your support fuels and inspires an exceptional community of highly skilled researchers, physicians, and genetic counselors at Basser and around the world. Thank you for joining us in our mission to ensure that this is the last generation affected by BRCA-related cancers.”

Mindy and Jon Gray